Kentucky Derby: Simone Biles, Livvy Dunne to receive "Riders Up" Spotlight

by:Nick Roush•04/16/25•

RoushKSR

Simons Biles and Livvy Dunne — Simons Biles (Andrew Nelles, Imagn Images) and Livvy Dunne (Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images) will have the honor saying, "Riders Up!" at the Kentucky Derby.

The Run for the Roses is turning a shade of gold on the first Saturday in May. Before Churchill Downs hosts the 151st edition of the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby, the world’s most famous gymnasts will take center stage.

Livvy Dunne will call the Riders Up ahead of the Kentucky Oaks. Simone Biles will assume the honor in the paddock the following day ahead of the Kentucky Derby.

Livvy Dunne is the poster child of the NIL era. The LSU gymnast is a social media sensation with more than 8 million followers on Tik Tok and 5.3 million on Instagram. The Sports Illustrated swimsuit model is dating Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, making them the first couple of the LSU Tigers.

Simone Biles is the best gymnast to ever throw on a leotard. She set a new standard last summer in Paris by winning a record-breaking seventh Olympic gold medal, the most ever by a U.S. gymnast. Biles has 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals in her illustrious career, setting her apart as one of the world’s greatest female athletes.

The Riders Up tradition is a recent development for Kentucky Derby weekend. The Paddock Judge holds the responsibility for most races, but beginning in 2012, the folks at Churchill Downs bestowed that tradition to various dignitaries from all walks of sports and pop culture. John Calipari was actually the first person to deliver Riders Up on the NBC broadcast, just a few months after the Wildcats won the National Championship. The full list of folks who have hollered “Riders Up!” on Derby day:

John Calipari (2012)
Charlie Strong (2013)
Julius Irving (2014)
Teddy Bridgewater (2015)
Sean Peyton (2016)
Jeff Bridges (2017)
Laila Ali (2018)
Baker Mayfield (2019)
D. Wayne Lukas (2021)
Jack Harlow (2022)
Patrick Mahomes (2023)
Martha Stewart (2024)

In addition to the Riders Up announcement, today we also learned that Grace Potter will sing the National Anthem ahead of the Kentucky Derby. Post time is at approximately 6:57 PM EST. Gina Miles, winner of The Voice season 23, will perform the anthem on Oaks Day.

Owen Almighty Does Kentucky Derby Double-Take

The entertainment news makes headlines, but for the horse racing community, there was some Kentucky Derby news this morning that took everyone by surprise.

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Owen Almighty will race in the Kentucky Derby. It should not be considered unusual that the horse ranked 12th on the leaderboard is running for the roses. It’s unusual because its trainer just said the horse can’t race at that distance.

The frontrunner won the Tampa Bay Derby by going wire-to-wire. It faded in the final furlong of the 1 1/18 mile Blue Grass Stakes. Trainer Brian Lynch indicated that they would prefer to run the horse in the one-turn Pat Day Mile, taking away a furlong from Owen Almighty. Now, its owners want the horse to add another furlong.

“The biggest thing is it’s the Kentucky Derby,” owner Hunter Rankin told BloodHorse. “While we know he’s going to be a longshot for sure, you don’t get many chances at it and we’re going to take one more shot with him.”

The move rearranges the field for the Kentucky Derby, making it even more difficult for Baeza, and it also could change how the race unfolds. The addition of Owen Almighty adds another speed horse to the field. It could create a blistering pace that falls apart, allowing a closer like Sandman or Burnham Square to hit the wire first.